So I signed up and filled out the basic information: Married, Hometown, Colleges I Attended, Occupation, and that I was online to meet Friends. Then, to ensure my long-lost highschool friends, old roommates, and study abroad pals found the right Kat, I posted a picture of myself. I don't usually do that. In fact, I've yet to post an image of myself here, and I've been doing this since September. Why? Well, I'm one of those gals who pretty much abhors any picture she's in. In all my years of cheesing it for the camera, only a handful of shots don't make me want to burn every last photo and negative.
But I managed to find an okay photo that didn't make me squirm:
I'm the one on the right in the pink bridesmaid dress slightly tipsy at Sister #1's June nuptials. Next to me is one of my nearest and dearest friends. It's a safe photo. I'm not trotting about in my underwear or straddling a car or any of the other nonsense people have captured themselves doing and posted for the world to see. This was about connecting with friends from afar, not discovering new "friends" who wanted to talk dirty.
And so began my confusing encounter with MySpace.com. Because I only have four friends after this first week or so, and two are family and therefore don't count. But I've had plenty of invites from complete strangers who want to be my buddy. There was the guy dressed like Darth Maul. Or GirlsXposed. Or the Marilyn-Manson lookalike.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? I don't understand why I'd list a complete stranger as a friend. Maybe I'm taking that term to mean more than it does. Maybe friend now means "complete stranger I can stalk over the Internet." I must be missing the appeal of this whole thing. It isn't like blogging, where you can get a sense for a person. Where you can respect someone's craft. This is my picture and some scant information. Nothing more.
But what really boggles my mind are the comments I've begun to receive. From the 30-year-old glass cutter looking for some fun. From the father and husband oohing over my "gorgeous smile." From the weird guy who likes to dress up. No, I don't want to get together over the weekend. No, I don't want to have a naughty exchange. Did you miss the big MARRIED indicator on my profile? There was nothing insinuating about my photo, right? How come all the freaks have found me and none of my friends?!?
3 comments:
I'll have to look for your MySpace profile ... I have one, too. My two friends are actually different profiles of the same person, whom I know in real life.
love myspace. LOVE it. although, at first, i was as timid as you are. looke me up. we can be friends. :)
the most random e-mail i got from a complete stranger was titled "married," and the body of the e-mail read, "but are you happy?"
whatever!
I've avoided MySpace. It's both too open and too personal. I don't really have a desire to be "found" by old classmates or the many online who want to befriend me. (By the way, from what I know, it seems to be a goal on MySpace to rack up as many "friends" as possible.)
But I am fascinated by the MySpace culture. I use my boyfriend's ID to search for old classmates (I remember so few of them). I'll have to look you up now too. :)
I read an interesting blog post on the decline of Friendster and the rise of MySpace (http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2006/03/21/friendster_lost.html).
So, although that idea of a super-community has its attractions, I think I'll stick with the thinly veiled anonymity I have on my blog. If people I know (or have known) in the real world want to find me online, they can find my email with little trouble. And that's enough for me.
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